‘Unfinished business’ is next theme of Oakland Raiders

When the Oakland Raiders announced the terrible secret on Saturday night – Jon Gruden is coming, Jon Gruden is coming — they described Gruden’s return as ‘unfinished business.’

For a team with many neat, little catchphrases over the years, expect ‘Unfinished business’ to be added to the list of Raiders’ battle cries.

Gruden mentioned it during his introductory press conference that was nationally televised.

“Yeah, there is unfinished business,” Gruden said in the presser. “And as a coach, I was traded, I’ve been fired, I’ve missed the game terribly, but I’ve really missed the Raiders. And for my career to end on that night in New England, it still ticks me off. I’m so thrilled to be back here. I hope people understand the emotion inside of me. I feel unfinished business. I also feel a lot of loyalty and I feel a lot of responsibility to get the Raiders going again and it’s been a while since we’ve consistently performed at a high level, and that’s really all I care about. I’m going to do everything I can to get this team right again.”

The term may be more than just a cute little catchphrase to Gruden. After the press conference, Gruden’s agent told RaidersSnakepit.com that ‘unfinished business’ is one of the main reasons why Gruden is back.

For years, Lamonte thought Gruden would stay in broadcasting. However, in the past year or so, Lamonte started to sense Gruden was getting close to coming back to the sideline after a nine-year absence.

Lamonte said he thought Gruden was tiring of being in the TV booth and the fact that his son would soon graduate high school, Gruden would feel the urge to return to the sideline.

“There is a lot of unfinished business,” Lamonte said. “He is honest when he said he didn’t want to be traded by the Raiders (in 2001). So, the combination of unfinished business, a contract for the ages (10 years for $100 million) help goes into what is a dream situation for the Raiders.”

So, buckle in. You’ll be hearing about ‘unfinished business’ until Gruden finishes his business as a Raider.

Bill Williamson has been a professional sports journalist for 28 years. He has covered the NFL for 22 straight years. He has been covering the Oakland Raiders for the past nine years, including seven at ESPN.com.